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Safety system of your vehicle
54
3
Curtain air bag (if equipped)
Curtain air bags are located along both
sides of the roof rails above the front and
rear doors.
They are designed to help protect theheads of the front seat occupants andthe rear outboard seat occupants in cer-
tain side impact collisions. The curtain air bags are designed to
deploy during certain side impact colli-
sions, depending on the crash severity,
angle, speed and point of impact.
The curtain air bags do not only deploy on the side of the impact but also on
the opposite side.
The curtain air bags are not designed to deploy in all side impact.
OXM039055
OXM039056
WARNING
In order for side impact and cur- tain air bags to provide the best
protection, both front seat occu-
pants and both outboard rearoccupants should sit in anupright position with the seat
belts properly fastened.
Importantly, children should sit in
a proper child restraint system inthe rear seat.
When children are seated in the rear outboard seats, they must be
seated in the proper childrestraint system.
Make sure to put the child
restraint system as far away from
the door side as possible, and
secure the child restraint system
in a locked position.
(Continued)
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Safety system of your vehicle
62
3
Additional safety precautions Never let passengers ride in the
cargo area or on top of a folded-
down back seat. All occupants should
sit upright, fully back in their seats with
their seat belts on and their feet on the
floor.
Passengers should not move out of
or change seats whilst the vehicle is
moving. A passenger who is not wear-
ing a seat belt during a crash or emer-
gency stop can be thrown against the
inside of the vehicle, against other
occupants, or out of the vehicle.
Each seat belt is designed torestrain one occupant. If more than
one person uses the same seat belt,
they could be seriously injured or killedin a collision.
Do not use any accessories on seatbelts. Devices claiming to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the seat
belt can reduce the protection provided
by the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
Passengers should not place hardor sharp objects between them-
selves and the air bags. Carrying
hard or sharp objects on your lap or in
your mouth can result in injuries if an
air bag inflates.
Keep occupants away from the air
bag covers. All occupants should sit
upright, fully back in their seats with
their seat belts on and their feet on the
floor. If occupants are too close to the
air bag covers, they could be injured if
the air bags inflate.
Do not attach or place objects on or
near the air bag covers. Any object
attached to or placed on the front or
side impact air bag covers could inter-
fere with the proper operation of the air
bags.
Do not modify the front seats.Modification of the front seats could
interfere with the operation of the sup-
plemental restraint system sensing
components or side air bags.
Do not place items under the frontseats. Placing items under the front
seats could interfere with the operation
of the supplemental restraint system
sensing components and wiring har-
nesses.
Never hold an infant or child on yourlap. The infant or child could be seri-
ously injured or killed in the event of a
crash. All infants and children should
be properly restrained in appropriate
child safety seats or seat belts in therear seat. Adding equipment to or modify-
ing your air bag-equipped vehicle
If you modify your vehicle by changing
your vehicle's frame, bumper system,
front end or side sheet metal or ride
height, this may affect the operation of
your vehicle's air bag system.
WARNING
Sitting improperly or out of posi- tion can cause occupants to be
shifted too close to a deploying
air bag, strike the interior struc-
ture or be thrown from the vehicle
resulting in serious injury ordeath.
Always sit upright with the seat- back in an upright position, cen-tred on the seat cushion with
your seat belt on, legs comfort-
ably extended and your feet on
the floor.
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53
Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tyres.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on thefluid.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls are easily reached.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors. Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights
when the ignition switch is turned to the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
WARNING
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before putting a
vehicle into “Drive” or “Reverse”.
WARNING
When you intend to park or stop the
vehicle with the engine on, be care-ful not to depress the accelerator
pedal for a long period of time. It
may overheat the engine or exhaust
system and cause fire.
WARNING - Driving under
the influence of alcohol or drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgement.Driving whilst under the influence
of drugs is as dangerous or more
dangerous than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driveror call a cab.
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Driving your vehicle
18
5
Automatic transaxle operation
The highly efficient automatic transaxle
has 6 forward speeds and one reverse
speed. The individual speeds are select-
ed automatically, depending on the posi-
tion of the shift lever.
✽✽
NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle, if the battery has been disconnected, may
be somewhat abrupt. This is a normalcondition, and the shifting sequence will
adjust after shifts are cycled a few times
by the TCM (Transaxle Control
Module) or PCM (Powertrain ControlModule).
For smooth operation, depress the brake pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a forward or reverse gear.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator lights in the instrument
cluster displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ONposition.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the frontwheels from rotating.
WARNING - Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a vehicle into D (Drive) or
R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movementcan occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-tified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate the
engine in R (Reverse) or any for- ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on an upgrade, do not hold the vehicle stationarywith engine power. Use the serv-ice brake or the parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine is above idle speed.
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